Article 80 at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Before and After 2019
Every enlisted member convicted in the 17 Article 80 (attempt) cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in 2019–2021 received a punitive discharge (100%), compared with 83% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 80 cases.
Understanding Trends in Military Practice · 5 min read
Trends › By Installation › Camp Lejeune, North Carolina › Article 80
Short answer: Every enlisted member convicted in the 17 Article 80 (attempt) cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina in 2019–2021 received a punitive discharge (100%), compared with 83% across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 80 cases. The median confinement was 1.1 years, close to the 1.2 years across the service and shorter than the 2 years at Camp Lejeune in 2017–2018.
A Punitive Discharge in Every Enlisted Conviction
All 17 convicted enlisted members received a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge (100%). In Navy and Marine Corps Article 80 cases overall, the share was 83%. 6 of the 17 were dishonorable discharges.
A punitive discharge is a bad-conduct or dishonorable discharge for enlisted members. No officers appear in these cases.
Attempt Charges Came With Other Offenses
Article 80 makes it a crime to attempt another offense, so it usually appears with other articles. Only 1 of the 17 cases charged Article 80 by itself, compared with 11 of 138 in Navy and Marine Corps Article 80 cases overall.
Article 92 (orders violation) appeared in 6 cases, Article 120b (child sexual abuse) in 6, Article 112a (drug) in 5, Article 134 (general article) in 4, and Article 121 (larceny) in 3.
Confinement in Every Case
Confinement was part of 100% of the 17 convictions. Half of the terms were 1.1 years or less, and a quarter were 2 years or longer. The median across the Navy and Marine Corps was 1.2 years.
These are adjudged sentences, before any plea-agreement cap, clemency, or appeal. Each one covers every charge in the case, including the companion charges listed above.
Then and Now
Camp Lejeune had 17 Article 80 cases in 2017–2018 and 17 in 2019–2021. That works out to about 8 a year before 2019 and about 6 a year after, counting full years only. The median confinement went from 2 years to 1.1 years, and punitive discharges went from 94% to 100%.
General courts-martial went from 71% to 82% of cases. Confinement was part of 100% of convictions in both periods. Small groups move with a few cases, so these changes show direction only.
| 2017–2018 | 2019–2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases | 17 | 17 |
| Contested (of pleas recorded) | 0 of 1 | 2 of 6 |
| Convictions with confinement | 100% | 100% |
| Median confinement | 2 years | 1.1 years |
| Punitive discharge (enlisted) | 94% | 100% |
| General courts-martial | 71% | 82% |
Who Was Charged, and at What Court Level
Junior enlisted members (E-1 to E-4) were 59% of the accused and NCOs were 41%. The junior enlisted share across all Navy and Marine Corps Article 80 cases in 2019–2021 was also 59%.
General courts-martial tried 14 of the 17 cases (82%), and special courts-martial tried the rest. A general court-martial can impose long confinement and a dishonorable discharge.
When the Trials Happened
The trials ran from February 2019 to August 2021: 9 in 2019, 3 in 2020, and 5 in 2021. They were 8% of the 203 courts-martial at Camp Lejeune in those years.
Gaps in the Records
Navy and Marine Corps records before December 2020 often omit the plea and forum. Only 6 records here list a plea, and 2 of those 6 were contested. The records give trial dates, not offense dates, and they do not show the evidence, the plea terms, nonjudicial punishment, or administrative separations.
For what the offense covers and how it is defended, see Article 80 on the law firm's website. Dates and sources for the law changes: UCMJ change timeline.
How We Counted
Courts-martial tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina that charged Article 80 (found guilty, not guilty, or both): 2017–2018 (17) and 2019–2021 (17). Comparisons use every Navy and Marine Corps case charging Article 80 in 2019–2021.
Source: public court-martial records (Article 140a, UCMJ) in Military Trial Results, data updated October 24, 2026. Definitions, sources, and known gaps: how this data was built. Errors: content@bodiesburied.com.
Related Analysis
- Camp Lejeune, North Carolina: Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- Article 80 (Attempts): Court-Martial Data and Trends (hub)
- By Installation (hub)
- Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2017–2018: Charges, Verdicts, and Sentences in 140 Cases (the whole docket)
- Camp Lejeune, North Carolina Courts-Martial, 2019–2023: What 283 Cases Show (the whole docket)
- What Was Tried at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2024–2026? 119 Courts-Martial (the whole docket)
- Article 80 at San Diego, California Before and After 2019 (same offense, another installation)
- Attempt Cases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii: 2013–2018 vs. 2019–2023 (same offense, another installation)
- Fewer or More? Attempt Charges at Navy-Marine Corps Courts-Martial, 2017–2025
- Article 80 explained on the law firm's website
- Search every case in Military Trial Results (members)
Military Judges Who Presided Over Article 80 Cases at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, 2019–2021
Names and links only. Each judge's record of pleas, findings, and sentences is on their Know Your Judge page, part of the Court-Martial Characters membership.
About the author. Jocelyn C. Stewart is a retired Army JAG with more than 24 years of trying courts-martial and more than 200 jury trials. She hosts Where All The Bodies Are Buried and runs the Law Office of Jocelyn C. Stewart. This analysis is for education and information only. It is not legal advice, and every case is different.